Pipe cleaning machine



A A. FROH- March 28, 1939.

PIPE CLEANING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1936 A. A. FROH Maffih 28, 1939.

PIPE CLEANING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 4, 1936 RVV/ March 28, 1939. FROH 2,152,036

PIPE CLEANING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ON \N m M r- 252%; BF N D .I 1 W 7 Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED stares rarest series PIPE CLEANING MACHINE Arthur A. Froh, Watertown, Wis.

Application February 4, 1936, Serial No. 62,367

6 Claims.

My invention relates to pipe cleaning machines, and has particular reference to a machine for cleaning sections or lengths of pipe both internally and externally.

The primary object of my invention is toprovide a comparatively simple and efficient machine of the above kind which may be readily placed into practical use, and by means of which the pipe sections or lengths may be thoroughly cleaned by means of a brushing and washing operation.

With the above general objects in view, and others that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, such invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a pipe cleaning machine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View of the construction as shown in Figure 2, partly in side elevation and partly broken away and in vertical longitudinal section.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Figure 4. 1 a

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section on line 1-1 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a vertical transverse section on line 88 of Figure 1; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section on line 99 of Figure 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention consists of a portable machine including an open rectangular frame 5 provided with rear supporting wheels 6 and front steering and supporting wheels l, a suitable handle or tongue 8 being provided for pulling the machine from place to place and steering the front wheels I. Mounted in the frame 5 is an open'top tank or reservoir 9 adapted to contain water or other cleaning liquid employed in the operation of the machine. As shown, this tank or reservoir 9-has a downwardly and rearwardly sloping bottom wall, and mounted upon the top of this tank is the pipe cleaning mechanism to be presently described.

, The pipe cleaning mechanism has an open rectangular supporting base if! arranged upon the top of the frame 5 and tank 9, and secured upon the forward end of this supporting base is a head having an annular hollow manifold l2 disposed vertically and defining a central horizontal opening E3. The head H further includes an annular flange is projecting forwardly from the outer wall of manifold l2 and enclosing a circular chamber it: which is partly closed at the front by means of a cover plate It. Rigid with and projecting forwardly from the front wall of manifold l2 are a plurality of horizontal nipples ll, and journaled upon these nipples Within the chamber l5 are pulleys it around all of which passes an endless driving belt ill. The nipples ll form outlets for the manifold l2, and it will be noted that the hubs of pulleys l8 are provided with forwardly projecting tubular extensions which are journaled in the cover plate It and in which are secured the inner end of the hollow perforated shafts 20 of rotary cylindrical fountain brushes 25. In this way, the brushes 2i are grouped about a concentric with the axis of opening I 3 in the head I l while the pulleys l8 and belt l9 are effectively protected and housed within the chamber l5.

Mounted upon the rear end of supporting base IE5 is the motor 22, preferably electrical, and this motor has its power or armature shaft operatively connected by gearing 23 to the rear end of 30 longitudinal horizontal shafts 2 3 and 25. The shaft 25 is journaled in bearings 26 and extends through the manifold l2 into chamber it where it has one of the pulleys l8 secured thereon to be driven thereby, the rotation of this particular pulley being transmitted to the other pulleys l8 by means of belt l9. The forward end of shaft 25 hasa hollow or nipple portion Ha which is perforated at a point within the manifold i2 to permit the water or washing fluid to pass from said 40 manifold through the hollow or nipple portion lie of shaft 25 to the hollow perforated shaft 2!! of the associated brush 2!. In other words, the assembly at this point is the same as above described with respect to the other pulleys l8, except that the nipple portion No of shaft 25 is journaled in the front wall of manifold 52 instead of being a short nipple rigid with the latter. A suitable belt tightener 27 is associated with belt iii to maintain it in a taut condition for properly transmitting the rotation of the driven pulley I8 to the remaining idler pulleys I8.

The shaft 24 is journaled near its rear end in bearings 28, and is normally supported near 6 its forward end between the meeting edges of vertically swinging gate-like bearing members or plates 29 and 30 respectively hinged at their upper and lower edges in a support 3|. The member 29 normally assumes a depending vertical position under the action of gravity as shown in Figure 4, while the member 30 is yieldingly swung to and held in a vertical position by means of a tension spring 32, a suitable stop 33 being provided to limit the upward and forward swinging movement of member 30 to its normal vertical position. The forward end of shaft 24 extends through the opening l3 in head axially of said opening and terminates directly in front of the cover plate I6 where it has the inner end of the tubular shaft 34 of a further rotary cylindrical fountain brush 35 secured therein. Obviously, the forward end portion of shaft 34 where the bristles of brush 35 are provided, is perforated to permit the discharge of water or cleaning liquid to the bristles. The brush 35 is preferably positioned slightly forwardly of the brushes 2| to facilitate feeding of the pipe to be cleaned onto said brush 35 prior to engagement of the brushes 2| with the exterior of said pipe. Also, a cylindrical hood 36 is attached to the cover plate l6 and surrounds the brushes 2| and 35 so as to catch any water or cleaning liquid which is thrown outwardly under the action of centrifugal force during the operation of brushes 2 I. The hood 36 may have a bottom drain opening 31 to permit this water or cleaning liquid to drain from said hood for being conducted back into the tank or reservoir 9 as will be presently described. Also, the forward end of hood 36 has a relatively large opening through which the pipe to be cleaned may be introduced.

The water or other cleaning liquid is supplied under pressure from tank or reservoir 9 to the manifold I2, from which the water or other cleaning liquid may pass under pressure to the brushes 2| and 35 while the latter are rapidly rotated, during the pipe cleaning operation. For this propose, a water pump 38 is mounted upon the rear of the supporting base l0 and operatively connected with motor 22 so as to be driven by the latter, said pump 38 having an intake pipe 39 extending into the tank 9 and terminating near the bottom of the latter at the rear deepest portion of said tank or reservoir 9. The outlet of pump 38 is "connected with manifold |2 by means of a longitudinal horizontal pipe 40 which is provided with a valve 4| to control the flow of,

water or cleaning liquid therethrough. Also, the pipe 40 has a lateral branch 42 also provided with a control valve 43 and connected with the rear end of hollow shaft 24 which carries and drives the central brush 35. Another lateral branch 44 is provided on pipe 49 and extended beyond one side of the machine so that the water or cleaning liquid may be drained from the tank 9 upon closing valves 4| and 43. This is desirable when the water or cleaning liquid becomes too dirty and it is desired to place new clean water or washing liquid in the tank 9 for use in the further operation of the machine. The pipe 40 has a shut-off valve 45 at a point between pump 38 and the branch pipes 42 and 44 so that the flow of liquid or water from tank 9 may be entirely out off if desired for any reason. Also, the branch 44 has a shut-off valve 46 which is closed during the normal operation of the machine with the valves 4|, 43 and 45 open.

Means is provided to support and guide the pipe as it is fed rearwardly beyond the gate-like supporting members 29 and 30, and this means includes a horizontal trough member 4'! arranged longitudinally of the machine directly beneath and concentric with hollow shaft 24 at a point intermediate the forward bearing 28 and the support 3| for the gate-like members 29 and 39, a manually operable device being provided for vertically adjusting said trough member 41 so that the latter may properly support the pipe concentric with shaft 24. Obviously, the vertical adjustment of trough member 41 is to accommodate pipes of varying cross sectional diameters within certain limits. For a similar purpose, the brushes may be changed to vary the relative sizes of the brushes 2| and 35. For instance, by employing a brush 35 of larger diameter and brushes 2| of smaller diameter, a pipe of larger cross sectional diameter may be accommodated and thoroughly cleaned, the trough member 41 being correspondingly adjusted. The manually operable device for vertically adjusting the trough member 41 may consist of a link 43 pivoted at its upper end to the intermediate portion of a frame 49 on which the trough member 41 is secured, the lower end of link 48 resting upon a plate 50 carried by the supporting base I9 and having a forward end of an operating rod 5| pivoted thereto, the forward end of rod 5| being pivotally connected to a hand lever 52 mounted on the supporting base It) near the forward end of the machine.

The frame 49 is provided with means at 53 for guiding the same for vertical reciprocation, and a suitable latching means 54 being provided for holding the lever 52 in any of its adjusted positions to thereby retain the trough member 41 in a desired position of vertical adjustment. Obviously, upon exerting a forward pull on rod 5| by the manipulation of lever 52, the link 48 may be shifted from the inclined position of Figure 3 to a more nearly vertical position, thereby raising the trough member 41. In a like manner, rearward movement of rod 5| will cause lowering of the trough member 47 by increasing the inclination of link 48. It will be noted that the forward end of trough member 4'! is flared so as to guide the pipe onto the same as said pipe is fed rearwardly.

It is noted that the machine is preferably of a size so that the distance between the brushes and the forward bearing 28 is at least equal to one-half the length of the pipe section to be cleaned, thus permitting cleaning of at least onehalf of each pipe section during each operation, the pipe section being removed and turned end for end so that the other half thereof may be cleaned by the machine. In order to support the pipe section as it is being initially fed to the brushes, and to drain or convey water from the pipe section back to the tank 9 at such time, I provide a trough 55 having means at 56 to detachably connect one end of the same with the forward upper end of tank or reservoir 9 and provided with foldable supporting legs 51 at its other end so as to sustain said trough 55 in a rearwardly and .downwardly inclined position as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the trough 55 thus being disposed to convey water to and discharge the same into the tank 9 as it drains from the pipe section into said trough 55. The trough 55 is provided with spaced pipe rests 58 upon which the pipe section may be initially placed and by means of which the pipe may be accurately fed to the brushes. These pipe rests 58 are preferably adjustable for supporting pipes of various cross sectional diameters concentric with shaft 24 and the brush 35 driven thereby. When the legs are unfolded, they engage the floor or ground to properly support the forward higher end of the trough 55 at the required elevation, and when the legs 51 are swung or folded up against the bottom of the trough55, the latter may be suspended beneath the inclined bottom of tank 5 where the latter is provided with spaced hooks 59 to be engaged by the pipe rests 58.

In order to effectively prevent movement of the machine when in use, a suitable brake 6B is pref.- erably associated with one of the rear supporting wheels 6 and operatively connected with a hand lever 6 I mounted on the forward end of the supporting base it, suitable latching means being provided to hold the lever iii in brake applying position. As shown clearly in Figures 5 and 9, the cover plate l6 has a central opening through which the pipe section being cleaned may pass after passing the brushes. The pipe section then passes through the center of the annular manifold l2 and engages the swinging gate members 29 and 30. Upon further rearward movement of the pipe section, the gate-like members 29 and 30 are swung rearwardly and downwardly, the forward end of shaft 24 being then sustained by the engagement of the central brush 35 within the pipe section. This arrangement of the gate members 29 and 3!] thus provides for proper supporting of the forward end of shaft 2 until the pipe section being cleaned has been fed rearwardly a considerable distance, after which the pipe section is allowed to pass rearwardly to the forward bearing 28, at which time at least one half of the pipe section has been cleaned. Immediately upon removal of the pipe section, the gate-like members 29 and 3E] will automatically swing to their vertical normal positions for supporting the forward end of shaft 24. It will also be noted that the bottom drain opening 37 of hood 35 is arranged to discharge onto the rear lower end of trough 55 so that the water or washing liquid will pass from this hood 36 backinto the tank 3 for re-use.

The cover plate I6 is preferably secured in place by means of catch lugs 62 rigid with the sides of said cover plate and engageable with keeper lugs 63 formed on the sides of flange I l, as shown more clearly in Figures 3, 5 and 9. This permits convenient and quick detachment of the cover plate It together with the hood 36 upon removal of brushes 2 I, and a forward pull upon the cover plate IE to effect its removal may be readily accomplished by grasping handles 64 provided on the forward face of cover plate It near the opposite sides of the latter.

In using the present machine, the brake Ellis applied and the trough 55 is positioned as shown in Figure 1, whereupon the motor 22 is placed into operation for rapidly rotating brushes 2! and 35 and driving pump 38 to deliver the water or washing liquid from tank 9 to manifold 12 from which it flows under pressure to the bristles of said brushes 2! and 35. The pipe section to be cleaned is then laid upon the pipe rest 59 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, the inner or rear end of the pipe section being aline-d with the central brush 35. The pipe section is then manually fed rearwardly onto the brush 35 and between the brushes 2i, so that the pipe section is subjected to a brushing and washing operation both internally and externally. The pipe section is thus cleaned for at least one-half its length by the time said pipe section is fed rearwardly so that its inner or rear end abuts the forward bearing 28, whereupon the pipe section may be withdrawn, reversed end for end and then fed into the machine again for cleaning the remaining one-half of said pipe section. As before men-- tioned, the pipe section will pass through the head i l and swing the gate-like members 29 and 3D rearwardly so that the pipe section may pass rearwardly onto the trough member 47 for being effectively supported by the latter as the cleaning operation progresses. Any water draining from the pipe section will pass into the tank or reservoir 9 through the open top of the latter and from trough member ll and trough 55, as well as from hood 36. The water or washing liquid is thus returned to the reservoir for continuous reuse during the pipe cleaning operation, and any water or cleaning liquid thrown outwardly from the brushes 2! by centrifugal force will strike the interior of hood'36 for being caught and drained back to the reservoir 9. Obviously, when the pipe section being cleaned is fed rearwardly, it will be guided onto the trough member dl by the flared forward end of the latter, and manipulation of hand lever 52 will effect proper adjustment of trough member M to support the pipe section concentric with shaft 26 and its brush 35. Similar adjustment of the rests 58 will enable alinement of the pipe section with brush 35, regardless of the cross sectional diameter of the pipe section.

It will thus be seen that with my improved machine, pipe sections will be thoroughly cleansed from any dirt and other foreign matter, the machine being placed in use with a minimum amount of manual effort and the exercise of a minimum amount of skill. Minor changes in the details of construction illustrated and described are contemplated, such as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a pipe cleaning machine, a hollow vertical head having a horizontal opening through which the pipe to be cleaned may pass, a hollow horizontal rotatable shaft projecting forwardly through said opening coincident with the axis of the latter, a rotary fountain brush carried by the forward end of said shaft and adapted to enter and engage the internal surface of the pipe to be cleaned, power means operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter and said brush, a series of fountain brushes supported by said head and grouped about the forwardly projecting end of said shaft to engage the external surface of the pipe to be cleaned, means to supply a cleaning fluid under pressure to said shaft and tosaid head for passage respectively to the first-named and secondnamed brushes, and means to rotatably drive the second-named brushes.

2. In a pipe cleaning machine, a vertical head having a horizontal opening through which the pipe to be cleaned may pass, rotary brushes projecting forwardly from said head and grouped about the axis of said opening concentric with said axis to engage the external surface of the pipe to be cleaned, said brushes being rotatable about axes parallel with the axis of said opening, a horizontal rotatable shaft carrying one of said brushes, means for transmitting motion from said shaft to the others of said brushes, power means operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter, said vertical head having a hollow annular manifold defining said horizontal opening, said brushes being of the fountain type and in communication with the interior of said manifold, and means to supply a cleaning liquid under pressure to said manifold for passage to said brushes.

3. A pipe cleaning machine including an open top reservoir for a cleaning liquid, a hollow vertical head mounted upon the forward end of said reservoir and having a horizontal opening, a hollow horizontal rotatable shaft projecting forwardly through said opening coincident with the axis of the latter and carrying a rotary fountain brush at its forward end adapted to enter and engage the internal surface of the pipe to be cleaned, a motor mounted upon the rear end of said reservoir and operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter and said brush, a series of fountain brushes supported by said head and grouped about the forwardly projecting end of said shaft to engage the external surface of the pipe to be cleaned, and a pump mounted upon the rear portion of said reservoir and operatively connected to said motor for supplying cleaning liquid from said reservoir to the rear end of said hollow shaft and to said head.

4. A pipe cleaning machine including an open top reservoir for a cleaning liquid, a hollow vertical head mounted upon the forward end of said reservoir and having a horizontal opening, a hollow horizontal rotatable shaft projecting forwardly through said opening coincident with the axis of the latter and carrying a rotary fountain brush at its forward end adapted to enter and engage the internal surface of the pipe to be cleaned, a motor mounted upon the rear end of said reservoir and operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter and said brush, a series of fountain brushes supported by said head and grouped about the for wardly projecting end of said shaft to engage the external surface of the pipe to be cleaned, a pump mounted upon the rear portion of said reservoir and operatively connected to said motor for supplying cleaning liquid from said reservoir to the rear end of said hollow shaft and to said head, and vertically adjustable means between said head and said motor for supporting the pipe to be cleaned concentric with said shaft as it is fed rearwardly beyond said head.

5. A pipe cleaning machine including an open zontal top reservoir for a cleaning liquid, a hollow horizontal rotatable shaft carrying a rotary fountain brush adapted to enter and engage the internal surface of the pipe to be cleaned, a motor mounted upon the rear end of said reservoir and operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter and said brush, a pump mounted upon the rear portion of said reservoir and operatively connected to said motor for supplying cleaning liquid from said reservoir to the rear end of said hollow shaft, a trough connected at its rear end with the forward end of said reservoir and having means to support its forward end in an elevated position so that said trough is positioned at a rearward and downward inclination to receive cleaning fluid drained from the pipe to be cleaned and return it to the reservoir, and pipe supports carried by said trough to facilitate initial feeding of the pipe to said brush.

6. A pipe cleaning machine including an open top reservoir for a cleaning liquid, a vertical head mounted upon the forward end of said reservoir and having a horizontal opening, a hollow horirotatable shaft projecting forwardly through said opening coincident with the axis of the latter and carrying a rotary fountain brush at its forward end adapted to enter and engage the internal surface of the pipe to be cleaned, a motor mounted upon the rear end of said reservoir and operatively connected to the rear end of said shaft to rotatably drive the latter and said brush, a pump mounted upon the rear portion of said reservoir and operatively connected to said motor for supplying cleaning liquid from said reservoir to the rear end of said hollow shaft, a trough connected at its rear end with the for ward end of said reservoir and having means to support its forward end in an elevated position so that said trough is positioned at a rearward and downward inclination to receive cleaning fluid drained from the pipe to be cleaned and return it to the reservoir, and a hood carried by said head and engaging said brush, said hood having a bottom drain opening arranged to discharge the cleaning liquid onto the rear end of said trough for return to the reservoir.

ARTHUR A. FROH. 

